Combined book support and carrier



INVENTOR ATTORNEY July 3, 1962 c. R. WALKER COMBINED BOOK SUPPORT AND CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed D60. 5, 1960 Charles R. Wlzlkm;

July 1962 c. R. WALKER COMBINED BOOK SUPPORT AND CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 5, 1960 United States Patent Gfifice 3,641,774 Patented July 3, 1962 3,041,774 COlVIBINED BOOK SUPPORT AND CARRIER Charles R. Walker, Rte. 5, Albertville, Ala. Filed Dec. 5, 1960, Ser. No. 73,734 4 Claims. (Cl. 45-64) The present invention relates to a combined book support and carrier and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts herein described and claimed.

Generally there is provided a tray-like member com prising a rectangular panel formed of sheet metal or plastic material, and having a pair of triangular side flanges and a rectangular flange extending between the bases of the triangular flanges to define a book receiving pocket. An elastic band is stretched horizontally around the member and serves to hold books in the pocket formed by the panel and its flanges, and also serves to hold a book in open position resting against the outer face of the panel when the member is standing upright on its rectangular flange as a base.

A second panel is hinged to the book supporting face of said member adjacent its lower edge and extends away from said member so as to lie flat against a desk or other supporting surface. The second panel is desirably sur rounded at or adjacent its hinged edge by another relatively wide elastic band which serves as a pencil case. The second panel is also provided with spring clips or equivalent devices for quickly and easily detachably holding a piece of paper or a writing tablet on the upper face of the second panel which thus serves as a clip board.

It is an object of the invention to provide a book carrier constructed and arranged for being positioned so as to hold a book upright and open for convenient reading or copying.

It is another object to provide a device of the character described having a hingedly attached panel which cooperates with the book support to define a notebook including a clip board panel.

It is a further object to provide a device of the character set forth in which one or more relatively wide elastic bands may be employed for holding a book on the support, for holding books in the carrier portion, and/or for providing a convenient pencil case.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a combined book carrier, book support and clip board notebook, which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and yet effective and eflicient in use.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the device being used as a book carrier,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the disclosure of FIGURE 1 on an enlarged scale,

FIGURE 3 is a further enlarged end elevational view of the device of FIGURES l and 2 in section taken on line 33 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing the device used as a book support and clip board, and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing the device employed to provide a tilt top desk surface.

With reference now to the drawings, the numeral generally designates the combined book support and carrier. Device 10 comprises a base member generally designated 11 consisting of a rectangular panel 12 having a pair of triangular side panels 13 and 14 and a rectangular base panel 15. If the panel 12 is formed of sheet metal, the panels 13, 14 and 15 are cut in the shapes thereof shown as integral extensions of the panel 12 and are then bent to define the tray like member 11, with the junctions between the flanges indicated by the numerals 16 and 17 being produced by welding, soldering or by overlapping, all in known manners. The upper edge of the panel 12 is shown as being rolled or turned at 18 to produce a smoother and more rigid edge. The other edges of the member 11 may be similarly formed for the same purposes.

A relatively wide continuous band 19 of elastic cloth or other suitable material horizontally surround the member 11 and serves in the dual capacities illustrated by FIGURES 1 and 4, namely, first, that of holding the books or like articles 20 in the carrying pocket, as shown,

and secondly, that of holding a book 20 (as shown in FIGURE 4) in upright and rearwardly tilted position against the outside face of panel 12 when the member 11 is being employed as a book support.

A second rectangular panel 21 of sheet metal or plastic material cooperates with the panel 12 to define a combined note book and clip board. As best seen in FIGURE 4, the clip board panel 21 has an upwardly and rearwardly inclined flange 22 connected adjacent the ends of its upper edge to the lower portion of the outside face of the panel 12 by a pair of hinges 23 and 24. The flange 22 serves as a stop to prevent rearward tilting of the member 11 about the axis common to the hinges 23 and 24.

A short distance from and parallel to the base of the flange 22, the panel 21 is bent upwardly and then reversely downwardly to define the upstanding rib 25. Rib 25 serves two purposes: first, as the forward wall of a trough defined by the upstanding rib 25 and flange 22, and secondly, as a support means to which a pair of spring clips 26 and 27 may be fixed as by the use of spot welded connections 28. It should be noted that the spring clips 26 and 27 are merely illustrative of many similar and equivalent types of de 'ices for attaching a piece of paper, a writing pad or tablet, etc.

A second continuous relatively wide band 29 of elastic cloth or similar material substantially covers the bottom of the trough defined by the panel 21 and its flange 22 and upstanding rib 25, and serves to hold a pencil 30 and/or other light articles in said trough, thus making a pencil case of simple and effective design.

The use of the device as a carrier for books or like articles is best illustrated in FIGURE 1. With the panels 12 and 21 engaged along their upper edges, a piece of paper 31 (or a tablet or pad of loose leaf paper) held against the inner surface of the panel '21 by the spring clips 26 and 27 will be safely and protectively enclosed in the note book constituted by said panels 12 and 21. Pencil 39 (and similar articles such as pens and erasers) will be securely retained in the pencil case formed by the elastic band 29 and the retaining trough formed by the flange 22 and the upstanding rib 25.

As previously noted with the parts in the relative positions thereof shown in FIGURES l and 2, books 20 or like articles can be held upright in the pocket defined by the inner surface of the panel 12 and by the panels 13 through 15, being held therein by the stretchable band 19.

When the device is to be used as a combined book support and clip board, as illustrated in FIGURE 4, the band 19 is stretched forwardly to permit insertion of the opened book 20 behind the band 19. The lower edge of the book 20 then is received in the trough between the flange 22 and the rib 25. While writing on the piece of paper 31, the pressure of weight of the students hand on the clip board panel 21 will ensure the immovability of the device both relative to the desk or table surface upon which the device is supported and also ensure its being rigidly held upright against rearward tipping of the panel 12.

FIGURE 5 illustrates an inverted position of the device 3 as compared with FIGURE 4, for use of the book supporting portion 11 as a tilting desk surface. In this position of the device the clip board 21 can then be used as a support for a piece of paper 31 (or a pamphlet or similar article) from which the student may be copying .or taking notes.

While but one form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many minor modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A combined note book and book support and carrier, comprising: a tray-like member including a face panel having inner and outer surfaces and marginal flange portions extending away from the inner surface of said face panel and defining therewith a receptacle for books, papers or like articles, a writing panel hingedly connected to the lower margin of said face panel whereby said writing panel can be folded to overlie the outer surface of said face panel when the device is being used as a book carrier and as a closed notebook, and an elastic band-type element embracing said tray-like member to serve as a retaining means for books or like articles when carried in said receptacle and to serve as means for holding a book open and against the opposite book supporting surface of said face panel, said member can be supported upright from a desk-type surface and on one of said flange portions as a base to serve as an easel-type support for a book or the like positioned against the outer surface of said face panel, said writing panel serving to prevent tipping of said upright member rearwardly away from the hinged edge of said writing panel.

2. Structure according to claim 1, said writing panel having means adjacent its hinged edge for easily and quickly detachably fastening a writing tablet or the like to said writing panel.

3. Structure according to claim 1, said writing panel having an upstanding stop flange adjacent its hinged edge and engageable against the margin of said face panel to prevent rearward tilting of said member when held upright to serve as a book holder and support.

4. Structure according to claim 3, said writing panel having a rib substantially parallel to said stop flange and defining therewith a trough therebetween, and a relatively wide elastic band substantially covering the bottom of said trough to form therewith a case for pencils or the like.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

